Traitor
by Bakura13
Summary: The Blade Breakers are once again caught in the middle of something wherever they go. Beyblades are stolen without a trace and Ray is getting very suspicious and edgy...
1. Prologue: I’m Coming For You

Prologue: I'm Coming For You  
  
[Was going to start with the first chapter right away but decided not to.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.]  
  
The five members of the Blade Breakers walked along a main street in one of the cities of Japan that they were staying in, obviously making quite a bit of noise from their talking... only about half of the group at the most. A dark blue-haired boy had his hands folded behind his head, an amused grin on his face as he glanced back at the group with his dark eyes.  
  
"That match was awesome! You really took them out, Kai." He said, glancing at another boy that had darkened crimson eyes and blue markings on his cheeks.  
  
"Tch..." The other blader flicked some of his two-shaded blue bangs from his eyes as he turned his head away slightly, looking elsewhere. "Just overconfident amateurs..."  
  
"You gotta admit, they seemed to at least know what they were doing." Spoke up a cheery blue-eyed blond. "Your advantage was almost taken away."  
  
"I wouldn't go that far, Max." Kenny spoke up, pushing his glasses back up under the bangs of his orange hair. "Kai has a lot more experience and his opponents were just looking for a fight. They sure got one, alright."  
  
Ray rolled his eyes, flicking his yellow gaze to the sky as few fluffy pinkish clouds rolled across the dusk sky slowly and carelessly. He sighed quietly, continuing to follow his talking comrades. His heightened sense of hearing caught a sound from above and resisted the urge to stop walking.  
  
'What was that...' He thought, cautiously moving his gaze over to the rooftops of the stores and restaurants. 'I swear... I heard something...'  
  
He focused himself away from the sound of Tyson talking and tensed, hearing the noise again. His yellow eyes turned cat-like slightly as he definitely heard the softened thud of someone running and then he heard the original noise again...  
  
'Chains...' He withdrew a small breath, feeling the wind pick up slightly.  
  
He snapped his gaze forward, almost walking into Max as he noticed that they were all in front of Kai's home. He almost forgot to breathe when he noticed almost all of the other staring.  
  
"Hey, what's wrong?" Max asked, blinking innocently. "Is something bothering you, Ray?"  
  
"No." He answered, a little more rushed than he had expected. "Why are we here?"  
  
"Are you sure?" Tyson butted in. "You seem a little zoned out and all. And did you forget already? We're just going to hang out for a while."  
  
Ray shook his head, his muscles still tense. "Just thinking and letting my mind wander, that's all."  
  
"Eh, if you say so." Tyson shrugged, folding his arms behind his head again. "You know, if something's up, you can tell all of us. We're a team and we're supposed to be open to each other."  
  
"I'm serious, guys. Can't a guy just think for a while?" Ray asked, not liking the skeptical stares that he got from his teammates.  
  
He sighed quietly to himself, watching the others walk into the hotel and he started following them. He glanced back as he rested a hand on the doorway, seeing nothing but it didn't leave the reassuring feeling. He just shook his head, walking through the doors to catch up with his friends.  
  
A shadow seemed to emerge from a rooftop across the street and it disappeared, as soon it was visible, vanishing with the wind. The individual dashed across the rooftop, leaping across a very narrow alley onto another one and seemed to glide down a fire escape; completely dressed in black. Amber eyes were the only visible things to see and person dashed through the dark alley. A thick chain was wrapped twice around the being's middle and diagonally across the body with the hook attached to one of the links.  
  
The being slowed down after jumping down a slope by the river, ducking under the bridge where three other similarly dressed beings stood, varying in height. An arm was placed across the individual's own stomach and bowed down to what seemed to be the leader.  
  
"What did you find..." A male voice seemed to purr from the leader of the pack.  
  
"The one that you have been searching for that came from the isolated village in China... Ray... Our sources proved true and he is currently here..." Reported the watcher, also having a male voice.  
  
A low chuckle was a reply to the findings, the leader not turning his back. "Good... We've spent a long time training and it will not go without its spoils of victory..." He paused, running his fingertips lightly over the scar that was over his left eye as he narrowed the dark blue gaze. "It's been too long and we will finally be able to leave a mark of our own for that traitor... As he had done for me..."  
  
"Should we go all out in one sweep of the city while the Blade Breakers are still in town?" A third member spoke up while the last remained silent.  
  
"No... we'll make ourselves noticed... Not too much to blow our cover... It's a simple tactic. Make yourself known to the enemy but not so well known as they can see your identity..." The leader crossed his arms over his black clad chest, smoothly running his tongue over his feline fangs. "Everything that we have taught each other will be proved in this ultimate and final test... After this, our mission will be complete... but it will not be the last..."  
  
The other three followers stepped back a few paces as the leader strode over to the edge of bridge, looking up past the structure and towards the darkening sky.  
  
"It won't be long now... Ray... I'm coming for you..."  
  
[Alright. This is really short for a prologue, I know, but I'm working on the first chapter right now and hopefully I'll get something up in a day or two. Xx; Another writing spree... Ra help me... Oh, and if there's any spelling mistakes, I'm sorry ] 


	2. Chapter I: Only A Glance

Chapter I: Only A Glance  
  
[Another random fan fiction idea... can't say that I've developed it much but my mind is hardest on writing it so I may as well make myself look weird  
and post it and stuff like that. Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade. I  
supposedly own my original characters.]  
  
Tyson, Max and Kenny all sat on the edge of one of the hotel beds and could see the Chinese beyblader leaning over the bathroom sink with his hands tightly clasped around the edges, as he seemed to be zoned out from strong concentration. He eye twitched slightly each time a drop of water fell from the end of the faucet into the base of the sink and he had his toothbrush still in his mouth almost lazily as he was unaware of the other three boys staring at him from their room.  
  
"What's up with him?" Max asked, tilting his head slightly at the sight. "He hasn't said a word all morning."  
  
"Tch..." Kai stood against a wall, fully dressed with his arms crossed. "Just leave the guy alone and I doubt it's any of your business."  
  
"He's been standing there for a good few minutes now." Tyson said, raising an eyebrow as he shrugged. "Maybe he's nervous or something."  
  
"Yeah, but over what? We don't have any tournaments coming up too soon since this one just finished and we're going back to our town in a week or two." Kenny sighed, cleaning his glasses with a handkerchief.  
  
"Any of you actually –tried- to ask what's bothering him? I heard it works wonders." Dizzi spoke up from the laptop, being left open on the bed.  
  
"Under normal circumstances, we would." Kenny slipped his glasses back on.  
  
"Oh really. What's not normal about this?" Dizzi questioned.  
  
"Think of it this way... we just finished a competition and maybe Ray is thinking over it. Almost reminiscing but more... in a weird sense since he's supposedly brushing his teeth..." Kenny concluded, putting a finger on the side of his face in thought.  
  
"You got me there, it's far from normal... It's just plain weird if you ask me." The laptop answered.  
  
"Hey! Earth to Ray, we all need to use the sink too, you know!" Tyson called out.  
  
There was no reply from the other team member and Tyson got up, walking into the bathroom until he was a few feet away from the other. "Did you hear me? You've been standing there like you were a zombie or something, come on! Wake up!"  
  
"Hm..." That was all Ray said, even if it was a mutter as he shifted the toothbrush to one side in his mouth.  
  
"Alright... you asked for it." Tyson warned, grabbing the full glass of water from the edge of the sink that Ray was supposedly using and splashed the water in his face.  
  
"H-Hey!" Sputtered Ray as he shook his head, throwing water droplets onto the mirror and all around him. "What was that for?!"  
  
"Your second wake-up call. If you haven't noticed, some of us are still in our pajamas and want to brush our teeth before our next birthday." Tyson said in a matter of fact way.  
  
"Oh..." Ray looked back at Max and Kenny, then noticed the white froth from the toothpaste. "... Sorry about that."  
  
"It's okay and all but are you sure you're okay? You've been acting all spaced out and weird since yesterday when we were walking back." Tyson said, folding his arms behind his head. "Something on your mind?"  
  
Ray rinsed his mouth out and washed his face, then replied as he was dying his face off with a small towel. "No, not really."  
  
"Well, if you say so... Come on, I don't want to miss breakfast." Tyson said as he started filling up the sink with water.  
  
Ray sighed as he walked out of the bathroom, staring to wrap his hair back in the cloth hairpiece as he slid the small pins into place almost effortlessly. "I'm going, I'm going..."  
  
After tying the long part of his hair back, he sighed quietly and sat on the edge of a bed, resting his hands on his knees. He closed his eyes and waited as the remainder of the team got dressed and cleaned up for the day.  
  
"What should we do after we eat?" Max asked as he pulled his new T-shirt over his head.  
  
"Well, since we are still here for a while longer... We basically have free- time." Kenny answered.  
  
"All right!" Max cheered. "This is gonna be great!"  
  
After the team had gotten ready for today, it followed with an eventful breakfast as they had been doing for months during competitions and the team set out to walk around the city. Tyson looked up, hearing some other kids yelling from the park and it sparked his interest as he recognized a sound:  
  
"Beyblading! Come on, you guys! Let's go check it out!" He yelled back to his friends as he sprinted forward.  
  
The other four caught up with the blue-haired teen and took glances over the shoulders of the spectators of the beybattle. Kai simply heaved a heavy sigh as he shook his head, turning away with little interest towards the match. Ray took a questioning glance at Kai then focused his attention back on the spinning beyblades as they ripped across the portable beystadium. He took a few glances at the beybladers who were obviously intent on winning no matter what then looked back at their blades. He narrowed his eyes slightly as what had been troubling him earlier starting bothering him again. His mind started drifting off elsewhere and it seemed that he was fully interested in match as Tyson secretly elbowed Max.  
  
"There he goes again." Tyson whispered, looking at Ray out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"Geez... Something really must be bothering him that much to make him act that weird." Max answered just as quietly. "Maybe we should really talk to him... at least one of us, anyway..."  
  
Ray blinked, seeming to be startled as the crowd's reaction of the finished match brought him back to his situation. He shook his head slightly, running his hand through his hair as Kenny closed up his laptop and the team started to gather back up.  
  
"Even for beginners, they're still pretty good!" Tyson said. "Almost makes me feel like challenging someone right now!"  
  
"Take it easy, Tyson." Kenny cautioned. "We just finished a competition and this is our time to relax, not challenge everyone."  
  
"Yeah, and besides..." Max gave thumbs up towards Tyson. "We can train later and improve our skills for anything that comes in our way. Let's just walk around this morning and we'll see about that match this afternoon."  
  
"You're on, buddy!" Tyson laughed slightly.  
  
Ray started walking forward towards the rest of the team and stopped in mid- step, his eyes widening and immediately going cat-like as something grabbed his attention almost straight away. His muscles tensed and his sensitive hearing once again heard the rattling of chains yet this time it was different...  
  
"Ray...?" Tyson blinked, watching the other curiously. "Now something –has- to be bothering you."  
  
He heard a chain seeming to be whirled around then thrown... He couldn't have mistaken that noise for something else and it was making him more edgy than the previous night. It sounded familiar and seemed to be on the tip of his tongue yet he couldn't place on where he had heard it before. He looked behind him and snapped his gaze back to the kids as he heard:  
  
"HEY! My beyblade!"  
  
Ray had just caught the blur of a chain retracting back into a tree with the caught beyblade in its metal coils.  
  
"What's going on?!" Tyson said, looking around.  
  
The commotion had also attracted the attention of Kai, who also looked curious of what was happening around him. He might have not had the heightened senses like the Chinese beyblader had but he wasn't one to let his guard down for anything. Ray's yellow cat-like eyes narrowed slightly as he saw a black clad figure gracefully leap out of a tree and hit the ground fleeing from the scene.  
  
'Swift as a cat...' He thought, his eyes narrowing more.  
  
Without a word, Ray sprinted after the thief, flicking his gaze around everywhere to make sure there wasn't more than one on his tail as he caught the person running down an alley. He charged into the alley, finding a dead-end a little ways back and slowed down to a complete stop, finding the thief glancing around with their back to him.  
  
"There's no where for you to go now." Ray said as he kept his arms at his sides, watching the person warily. "You may as well go back and give the kid his beyblade."  
  
The thief turned around, light green eyes narrowed and looked very angry and cat-like.  
  
Ray's shoulders tensed as he kept his tone steady. "I'm not going to tell you again. We can either do this the easy way or the hard way."  
  
The thief put the stolen beyblade in some hidden pocket and held the chain up threateningly towards Ray, the bright eyes narrowing at him.  
  
"Ray!" Kai's voice called out as he ran over, causing Ray to look back at him out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Ray grit his teeth slightly as he heard the chains being whipped around again and snapped his gaze forward, watching the thief pull himself or herself up the fire escape skillfully.  
  
"Oh no you don't!" Ray yelled as he jumped forward and grabbed the person's ankle.  
  
He kept a firm grip on the ankle and started pulling the thief back, hoping that he would be able to pull the person to the ground and get back the stolen goods. The long loose ends of a black scarf that seemed to be covering most of the person's face was within his reach and he grabbed it, pulling it away to reveal the being's features. Kai slightly jumped visibly as he heard somewhat of a cat hiss and saw fangs bared at Ray. He took a glance behind him as a similar dressed individual ran behind him, holding the chain in the same threatening way in either taking the offensive or defensive side.  
  
"Well, looks like we've got company..." Kai said, uncrossing his arms slowly.  
  
Ray looked down at the scarf in his hand then back up at the captive's face just before he received a swift kick in the side of the head, causing him to let go.  
  
"Don't take your eyes off of your opponent, Ray!" Kai barked as he faced his own enemy.  
  
Ray growled as the person made its get away up the fire escape and onto the roof, hearing a scowl from Kai as he guessed the other took off as well. Ray kept a hand on the side of his head, rubbing it lightly in pain as he looked back down at the clenched scarf.  
  
"Care to tell me what this is all about, Ray?" Kai questioned, turning towards him. "You have been pretty quiet since last night and I'm sure you at least have a vague idea what's going on..."  
  
Ray just shook his head slightly. "I seriously don't know. I feel as if I do but then again, there's something telling me that I don't... That kid is gonna be crushed... His beyblade was stolen..."  
  
"Tch..." Kai crossed his arms over his chest again, looking away.  
  
"Come on, let's go back before the others start worrying over nothing." Ray said as he walked past Kai, still looking at the piece of material in deep thought. 'I've seen this somewhere before... It's definitely made by something very fine... Damn it, why does it feel so familiar...'  
  
The two silently made their way back to the park where some of the kids were still waiting and Ray just shook his head at the kid who got his beyblade stolen.  
  
"Aw man! I just put it together today too!" The kid pouted, his head hanging low. "Thanks anyway... You're one of the Blade Breakers, aren't you?"  
  
Ray simply nodded, still feeling distracted.  
  
"That's cool... Thanks again for trying. Come on, guys." The kid walked off with his group of friends and the beyblading team was left standing almost alone in the park.  
  
"... Kenny, I'd make that a count of four times he's zoned out now counting from last night and now." Tyson pointed out, motioning over to Ray. "There's nothing left to do but..." He paused, walking over to his friend as he proceeded to give him a cuff upside the head but then was stopped by a hand.  
  
"Don't..." Ray said quietly, taking a glance at Tyson.  
  
"Well, warn us next time you decide to zone out without anything to say. Yesterday, I could understand, but now... we're all getting a little worried, Ray." Tyson shrugged, putting his arms back at his side.  
  
"Come on, we'll all talk about this after lunch later!" Max piped up. "Let's at least try to enjoy our morning then we can find out what's going on... If the same thing happens again then we'll be right on it! Nothing to worry about!"  
  
Ray stayed silent for a moment, his eyes drifting up to the sky as all eyes were on him. "... Yeah, sure... Why not?"  
  
"Alright! Let's go look around before the lunch hour comes up!" Max pumped a fist into the air, trying to lighten the mood from the obvious suspicion that was lurking about.  
  
Ray closed his eyes, his mind partially playing a flashback of what had happened not even a few moments ago. 'Why can't I remember... I know I've felt this material before... and that thief... Could it be someone from my village back in China with the rest of us...? Why don't I know...'  
  
[Okay, this first chapter was just typed up this evening and it seems about a page shorter than I usually write stuff... so... yeah _o How's the story so far... too quick? Something? Comments are nice xX but flames aren't very nice...] 


	3. Chapter II: Better Left Behind

Chapter II – Better Left Behind  
  
[Thanks for the reviews! ^^ They really made my day when I found them before I went to school in the morning. If there are any spelling errors,  
I apologize because I tend to miss a lot of obvious misspellings and  
whatnot. Anyway... enjoy this next chapter! Disclaimer: I do not own  
Beyblade.]  
  
Ray put down is almost empty bowl of noodles back on the table, keeping his eyes on the scarf that lay folded on the dinner table in front of him. He could feel most of the team staring at him as they waited for an answer or at least an explanation.  
  
"Come on, Ray! You've been holding out all day on what's been bothering you! You said you'd talk!" Tyson complained. "It must be something big if it caused that much trouble this morning!"  
  
Ray breathed a slow sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. "I know... and I will."  
  
"I say you've had enough time to think about it..." Kai said, watching Ray out of the corner of his eye. "Just spit it out..."  
  
"Okay already!" Ray 's voice grew serious as he opened his eyes and looked at his fellow teammates. "You guys already know that I was born in China and from the same place that Mariah and the rest of the White Tigers. That kid who got his beyblade stolen today...that wasn't just some ordinary thief. This was carefully planned to almost the exact second... I can't quite put together a few details though..."  
  
"Memory lapse perhaps?" Kenny suggested. "It's very common from a strong hit to the head. You told us earlier that someone hit you, right?"  
  
"Yeah..." Ray nodded. "I did get hit but it was towards a dangerous spot... almost my neck, even if the kick was aimed any lower. Aside from that... there's something more important that may just give me a clue of who exactly that person is..."  
  
"Really? What is it?" Max blinked.  
  
"This cloth..." Ray picked up the scarf, holding it with both hands. "It..."  
  
"Well...?" Kenny adjusted his glasses slightly as he waited for Ray to continue.  
  
"... It smells familiar..." Ray finally said.  
  
Max, Kenny and Tyson fell out of their chairs from the answer they had gotten and Kai actually looked more or less shocked at the Chinese blader.  
  
"... Excuse me?" Kai broke the odd silence.  
  
"What, are you a dog now?" Tyson questioned as he put his hat back on.  
  
"No, I'm not kidding!" Ray protested, looking at the skeptical faces. "It smells like something familiar back at my home village... Some sort of a flower but I don't remember..."  
  
"I doubt that any boy in his right mind would wear something that smells like some old flowers." Tyson slammed his fist lightly on the dinner table. "I know! It belongs to a –girl-, doesn't it, Ray... Is Mariah after you again?"  
  
"Believe me, I'd know if it was her. Besides, black isn't her colour and another reason that it couldn't be here is that she'd never attack anyone for their beyblades; not even steal them." Ray paused for a moment, looking back at his half-finished bowl of noodles. "I still don't know who this could belong to..."  
  
"Ah to hell with it. If one beyblade was stolen, then I'm sure that person'll just come back so snatch some more." Tyson waved a hand lazily. "Simple as that, we can catch the crook."  
  
"Even if that is true, why would a thief be going after an amateur's beyblade? Especially since some of the teams from the recent tournament are still around." Kenny pointed out. "I mean, come on. There has to be something more important than just stealing new blades."  
  
Kai raised an eyebrow as he noticed Ray playing with his food, poking the noodles with the chopsticks idly. "That's not just going to disappear and neither is that little problem."  
  
Ray kept quiet, still stirring his half-eaten dinner in the bowl as he thought back earlier that day when he caught up with the thief. Nothing could completely add up in his mind of whom exactly the criminal was, everything seemed to lead off in different directions and not even give him a proper indication.  
  
"Hm..." Ray stopped playing with his food, just looked at it with a preoccupied distant look.  
  
"Five times."  
  
"Huh?" Ray blinked, looking up at Tyson. "Five what?"  
  
"Fives times. We've been keeping a count on how many times you've zoned out today and you've just broken the record, buddy. Don't worry about it so much, it can't be that bad. We'll get some sleep tonight and sort this out tomorrow. Besides, there's nothing else for us to do this late at night." Tyson stretched back. "We'll catch that thief then we can go back to enjoying ourselves before we go home. How about it, does that sound good?"  
  
"It can't get any worse, Ray." Max said.  
  
"... Oh, alright." Ray sighed, bowing his head. "I guess you guys have a point..."  
  
Later that night, most of the members of the Blade Breakers were asleep and Ray found himself the last one awake. He sighed heavily, scratching his head a bit as he took a few glances around the room at the others.  
  
"Maybe they're right... I shouldn't worry about this so much..." He said to himself quietly as he lay back down and pulled the covers back up. "Maybe I'll remember in the morning."  
  
Kai lay still in his bed by the wall, keeping his back to everyone and looked at Ray out of the corner of his eye. 'Hm... maybe that pink-haired brat is following him again...'  
  
He closed his eyes, still hearing Ray shift uncomfortably in his own bed. He muttered a curse word in Russian and chose to tune out the restless blader. The room fell silent and it seemed that the entire team was asleep and quiet. Black bandaged hands were carefully placed on the windowpane of the room from the outside and the window was slowly and carefully slid open. There was a slight pause, as if a confirmation that the boys were truly asleep then the light green-eyed thief slipped into the room quietly, not wearing the scarf that was currently in Ray's possession. Another black-clad person was propped up on the windowsill, his amber cat-like eyes watching the sleeping forms of the Blade Breakers.  
  
The first one who entered nimbly crept across the floor on all fours, staying very focused and keeping her breathing disguised with the ones who were asleep. She took another crawl forward and stopped immediately when Tyson moved.  
  
"HEY!"  
  
The person in the third-story window slid back and seemed to disappear as he held the window-frame with his bandaged fingers.  
  
"That's my slice of cake... give it here..." Tyson mumbled, turning onto his stomach as he continued to talk in his sleep.  
  
The one hanging on the windowsill started pulling himself back up smoothly and quietly to perch on the edge again, taking a glance at the linked chains that held onto the ledge near the window and were tied onto a sturdy tree branch. He looked back, catching the gaze of the other and flicked his gaze to Ray's motionless form then back to her. The thief nodded slightly, resuming her crawl across the room to Ray's bed as quietly as she could. When she reached Ray's bedside, she slowly sat up on her haunches, seeing Ray sleeping on his back and holding the scarf in his hands.  
  
'If I don't get this back and cover my face, our oldest brother is going to kill us...' She thought as she slowly reached over to try to pull the cloth away.  
  
She tensed and stopped as she saw Ray's hand slightly tighten its grip on the material. She remained frozen until she thought he was just moving in his sleep and started gently trying to maneuver the scarf from his hands. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she couldn't get it free and brought her other bandaged hand up, gently prying at Ray's fingers. She ran her tongue slowly over her fangs as she managed to pull the scarf free then tied it back on just below her eyes to cover the rest of her face.  
  
"I knew it smelt familiar..."  
  
The thief froze, flicking her gaze over to Ray who watched her with one half-open eye. She hunched down and bounded onto the next bed, startling Kenny from his slumber and then to the next one, waking Max up as well.  
  
"H-hey! What's going on?!" Max said as he sat up.  
  
"What's the big idea?" Kenny glanced around frantically, patting the desk for his glasses.  
  
Kai turned, shooting his beyblade at the window to startle the onlooker from his perch. "Well, well... looks like we've got visitors, boys..."  
  
The thief jumped over to the window as soon as the watcher got out of the way and the two unlatched the chain from the nearby ledge, holding onto the chains tightly as they swung back towards the tree. Kai climbed out of bed and over to the window, Ray following him just a moment afterwards.  
  
"I told you that the bandit would come back..." Kai said flatly, watching as the two jumped off; chains and all. "It's simple, really... You have something of theirs, they'll want it back."  
  
Ray nodded. "Yeah..."  
  
"Tyson! Tyson! Wake up!" Max started shaking the sleeping blue-haired boy. "Some people were in here!"  
  
"What? Who?" Tyson blinked sleepily at Max. "What're you talking about?"  
  
"Just like Tyson... sleeping through something like this..." Kenny sighed.  
  
Elsewhere, the watcher and the thief speedily made their way down a few alleyways until they came by an abandoned warehouse.  
  
"They knew, didn't they..." The older one asked.  
  
"They were waiting... big brother is not going to be pleased..." The thief breathed quietly.  
  
They entered the warehouse, slowing down to a walk as they walked side by side.  
  
"Don't tell Kaze what happened..." The fifteen year-old watcher said quietly.  
  
"Don't tell me what, Fang?" A voice hissed from around a corner.  
  
"... Big brother, we can explain..." Fang said quickly, ducking his head down as he stopped walking. "They knew we were coming... it was a trap but they didn't bother capturing Chiko or I..."  
  
"Of course it was a trap!" Kaze walked out from around the corner, some of his short spiked black bangs fell over his dark blue eyes. "Ray would definitely be aware... the scent of one of the wild flowers from back from our village is soaked into Chiko's scarf..."  
  
The light green-eyed girl lowered her gaze, removing the scarf from her face and lowered the hood as she let her shoulder-length dark auburn hair frame her face. "I'm sorry, big brother... but I assure you. Ray doesn't know that it's us!"  
  
"Doesn't he?" Kaze questioned, walking in a slow predatory circle around the two. "He stole your scarf... He saw your face... and knew you were in the room... Don't you think that is more than a mere glance, little sister? What have we taught you for all this time! Do not reveal yourself to the enemy!"  
  
"Let it go, Kaze..." A dark green-haired, sixteen year old teenager stepped out from the shadows, his own dark blue eyes narrowing. "It was just a mistake... Just because you're the oldest, doesn't mean you can chew them out for it... They were the best ones for the job and Ray would have caught on sooner or later... Nothing has changed..."  
  
"Risks are taken no matter what and that mess up could have ruined everything, Vane... I am the eldest of all of us and I expect you all to follow my rules as you have been for years... We're here for a reason... a damned good one... And if you can't get that through your heads-"  
  
"They get the point, Kaze. You don't have to repeat yourself." Vane crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed at the leader.  
  
"Tch... then what about that Russian beyblader, hm? One of the best, formally a single-blader champion from the Japan tournaments is what some of those amateurs had said in the streets. He certainly caught onto what was going on... Look at this..." Kaze walked over to Fang, snagging a part of his attire and showing the rip that ran across it. "Ran into some trouble, did we?"  
  
"... They seemed asleep." Fang flicked his amber gaze away as he pulled his hood down and scarf off, revealing his spiky dark cobalt hair.  
  
"Kaze..." Chiko said quietly, looking up at him. "We can still get him, right?"  
  
The leader looked down at the youngest one, putting his hands back at his sides. "Tomorrow, we sweep through the down and snag as many beyblades as you can before he catches on..." He paused, glancing back at the small, organized collection on a wooden crate. "You know what to do afterwards..."  
  
The other three nodded, walking off towards different piles of beyblades that were organized by defensive power, attack power and weight.  
  
Back at the hotel, Ray continued to stand by the open window while the others talked about the intrusion.  
  
"How could you sleep through all of that?!" Kenny asked as he stared at the still sleepy Tyson.  
  
"I didn't hear anything and I was having the nicest dream before Max shook me to death." Tyson yawned.  
  
"Tch... probably about food..." Kai muttered loud enough.  
  
"Actually... Yeah, it was. How'd you know?" Tyson scratched the back of his head.  
  
Kai rolled his eyes. "Just a hunch..."  
  
Max looked at Tyson then back at Kenny. "Are they gonna come back? What did they want?"  
  
Ray shook his head slightly, glancing back at the group. "They got what they wanted... for now... I think I've almost put the puzzle together, guys... I almost know who they are..."  
  
The room fell silent and the Max and Tyson exchanged worried glances as Ray looked back out the window without another word.  
  
'I know what you look like...Just what is your name...' Ray thought as he looked up at the late night sky.  
  
[And there's the second chapter o_O; Had to stay up late for this one...] 


	4. Chapter III: A Trap For Thieves

Chapter III – A Trap For Thieves  
  
[Let's see here... Not many comments cept thanking for the reviews.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.]  
  
Ray sat on the hotel bed with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, still feeling exhausted for staying alert for most of the night but he was in deep thought. 'It is definitely not the White Tiger team with Lee, Mariah, Gary or Kevin... It has to be some other people... Could it be...'  
  
"Ray, let's go already!" Tyson broke through his thoughts, already being halfway through the door.  
  
"I'm going, hang on." Ray sighed and got up, following the others out of the hotel room and outside of the building.  
  
"All of you keep your guard up... Whoever broke into our room last night could have stole our beyblades but didn't..." Kai warned, not bothering to look at the rest of his team.  
  
Ray narrowed his eyes slightly. "I think we should go back to that park, you guys... I think I know what comes next..."  
  
"Is it a hunch?" Kenny asked.  
  
"No, it's more than a guess..." Ray replied. "I just have to make sure of something then we'll know who we're dealing with... Trust me on this..."  
  
"It's better than nothing, though." Max noted. "It's still a little confusing on what they want from us..."  
  
Tyson was about to say something but Ray started walking ahead. He blinked and shrugged, following after the Chinese beyblader. The rest of the team followed and after a few moments, they ended up at the same large park... yet this time it was more chaotic. Ray growled slightly as he saw an older black clad person picking on a younger kid.  
  
"It's my beyblade, give it back!" The kid protested.  
  
Kaze examined the beyblade then tossed it to the ground, yelling back at the other three darkly dressed people. "These are useless and we've already collected ones similar to these ones! Scrap them!"  
  
Ray clenched a fist as the older boy took out his beyblade, already prepped in the ripcord on the chain. Kaze was about to snap the chain as a whip and shoot his beyblade at the other on the ground when Ray caught a glance at his scar.  
  
"Kaze!" Ray yelled out, causing the other to look back. "What are the chances of you stalking me all the way to Japan..."  
  
"Heh... So the all mighty traitorous Ray decided to show up after all... You have quite a history... First you betrayed your closest friends and then our relentless group..." Kaze pulled the black scarf off of his face and lowered the hood. "It's been a while... That stunt you pulled back way back when... I still have proof of it... You were always a vicious beyblader by nature, Ray, and there's no way you can deny it..."  
  
"Things have changed... What you guys do is just wrong..." Ray shifted his gaze around to the other three people who gathered behind their leader. "All of you..."  
  
"Is it? It's better to know your competition before you make assumptions..." Kaze replied as the rest of the group removed their scarves and hood, except Chiko who kept her scarf over her face. "Let's see if you remember us all, Ray... We're not the same anymore either..."  
  
"Ray, who are these guys?" Tyson asked.  
  
"It took me a while to find out myself... but they are definitely from around my village and don't seem to have a sense of honor in beyblading like the White Tigers did back in the Asian Tournament..." Ray enlightened the rest of his team with details. "Those four have been like a family of brothers and sisters... but only two of them are blood related... the other three were just stuck together..."  
  
"Remember that last beybattle we had, kid?" Kaze crossed his arms. "I still have the mark from it... from you attacking me unfairly and almost making me blind in this one eye..."  
  
"What? Ray would never do that!" Max protested. "Tell him, Ray!"  
  
The Chinese beyblader remained silent as Kaze just grinned coolly. "Yes, Ray... enlighten us..."  
  
"That doesn't matter, you brought it on yourself..." Ray snapped back, taking out his beyblade. "You want to settle this here and now? Well, I'm ready when you are!"  
  
"We don't have time to play with you." Vane spoke out, turning his back to the Blade Breakers, his dark green hair falling over his eyes. "This isn't your territory anymore... You're in our cage, Raymond... We'll beybattle when it suits our own agenda..."  
  
"Why don't you cut the drama..." Kai side-glanced. "It's getting annoying..."  
  
"We are not only going after Raymond..." Vane spoke out again, looking back slightly. "From your smart ass comments, you have just ensnared yourself into the cage..."  
  
"Bring it on!" Tyson took a step forward but Ray put an arm up to block him from passing.  
  
"It's not worth it... Just drop it, Tyson..." Ray said quietly, keeping his gaze on the other four. "When they're ready, you do can what you want."  
  
Kaze and Vane ran off, leaping through a cluster of bushes while Chiko and Fang remained behind. Ray flicked his gaze between the two, staying prepared in case one of them tried to do something. There was a rattle of chains and the two ran off, following the two other older beybladers as the Blade Breakers were left alone, since some of the other kids had run away.  
  
"Ray, you said something about there being five... I only counted four." Max said, holding up the said number of fingers.  
  
"I know..." Ray said quietly. "One's missing..."  
  
"Why the hell do they want with amateur beyblades..." Kai said coldly, moving his gaze to Ray.  
  
"You remember that mountain training session we had back for the American Tournament, right?" Kenny watched as he got nods in reply. "I think these guys are out to get the full potential of their bit beasts by optimizing their beyblades as best as they can... It's more like analyzing... but I think they've only gotten rookie beyblades to-"  
  
"Lead us in a false sense of security..." Kai cut-in bitterly. "How pathetic..."  
  
"Kaze hasn't changed one bit..." Ray growled. "When I left the White Tiger village, Kaze and the rest of them followed me, wanting to learn more as well... For a while, I didn't mind them tagging along but things started getting out of control when Kaze started destroying other people's beyblades when they lost, and the others soon followed. I don't know when they started picking up this habit of stealing them... but it was just before I let them go off on their own..."  
  
"That's horrible! How can they be so cruel! Do they have no respect for the sport of beyblading?" Kenny asked.  
  
Kai closed his eyes. "Ray, you stay with me. The rest of you find something to do for the afternoon."  
  
"Wh-what? Kai, what's the big idea?!" Tyson protested, glaring at the Russian beyblader. "We're a team and-"  
  
"Don't start saying that again. Just do what I say and don't ask any questions!" Kai opened his eyes halfway, glowering at the stubborn blader.  
  
"But Kai..." Max said quietly. "You can't just make us go away. This concerns all of us-"  
  
"I'm the team captain and I decide what the hell we do. For this situation, I am TELLING you to do what I say. Do I make myself clear?" Kai rose his voice.  
  
"Yes, 'sir'..." Tyson muttered, making a mock salute.  
  
"Now get out of here..." Kai growled, glaring as the said three team members walked off.  
  
Ray looked at the others then back at Kai. "You didn't have to be so harsh, you know..."  
  
"It's the only way those guys will listen." Kai shifted his gaze to Ray. "Did the girl fall for it last night?"  
  
Ray nodded. "Yeah... but this is a really risky idea, Kai. She might not give it back."  
  
"Hn..." Kai crossed his arms. "You'll get Driger back... Plus the similar beyblade we got the chief to put together shouldn't make Max and Tyson suspicious... if he can keep his mouth shut... How much do you trust this... Chiko person to make up-front decisions..."  
  
"She was always shy... but if Kaze gets a hold of Driger then-"  
  
"You'll get it back." Kai looked back away. "Trust me."  
  
Ray looked at Kai, sighing slightly. "If you say so... I'll believe you..."  
  
"Come on, let's get moving..." Kai started walking off back towards the streets, Ray following after a moment. "Just one other thing... Tell me the truth, how did that guy get the scar?"  
  
Ray thought for a moment before carefully replying. "It's a long story..."  
  
At the seemingly abandoned warehouse, the three teenaged boys were sitting on crates, talking about what they were going to do next. As Kaze continued to explaining about the next major step in their plan, Vane stole a calm glance towards the metal walkway above. Chiko sat there quietly, her legs hanging over the edge of the walkway as she folded her arms on the railing. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a beyblade that she had managed to swipe the night before. She hadn't shown any of the others what she had stolen. She closed her fingers around the edges of the beyblade, trying to steady her slightly shaking hand. That's what Kaze was aiming for... one of his many objectives to get back at Ray Kon and Chiko had it.  
  
"It was too easy..." She spoke quietly to herself. "Why would he..."  
  
She put the beyblade back in her pocket, deciding not to worry too much about it for the moment. Instead, she rested her chin on her arms and looked across at one of the broken old windows. She had almost been caught twice, almost on both accounts trying to escape. Sighing, she closed her eyes and thought back when all of them were back in the village all those years ago.  
  
"Now try launching it." Ray explained to a young girl his age.  
  
"Okay!" The pink-haired girl said as she did what she was told.  
  
She pulled the ripcord back and the lemonade pink beyblade hit the homemade beydish and spun around for a few seconds. It started to lose speed before it completely stopped, lying motionless in the pit of the dish. The two young kids looked at the beyblade and frowned.  
  
"It didn't work!" Mariah looked at Ray with a pleading amber gaze. "Can you tell me what I did wrong?"  
  
"Well," Ray picked up the beyblade and smiled at the other. "You didn't have enough speed so try launching it a bit faster."  
  
Mariah nodded and continued her attempt to launch her beyblade properly. In a tree nearby, Chiko sat on branch and held a bunch of blue flowers in her arms. She watched the two train with each other and then looked at the flowers. Chiko was going to give some of them to Ray and the others but she couldn't get the confidence to do so. Instead, she sat in the tree and watched Mariah and Ray train for a few moments more. Someone else pulled himself up onto the tree branch and sat beside Chiko, giving her a slight nudge.  
  
"Kaze's been looking all over for you." Fang said as he ran a hand through his spiky hair. "You got to stop disappearing like that or he's going to give one of those lectures, you know?"  
  
"Sorry..." Chiko lowered her gaze to her feet as she swung her legs over the edge of the tree branch a bit.  
  
"Hey, don't be sorry. You just have to tell one us where you're going, that's all." Fang explained as he glanced at Ray and Mariah. "Are they still at it?"  
  
Chiko nodded. "They have been for the last little while..."  
  
"And who are those for?" Fang pointed at the flowers.  
  
Chiko blushed a bit, hugging the flowers slightly. "..."  
  
Fang raised an eyebrow. "Well? You can tell me, Chiko! Come on!"  
  
"... They're... They're for everyone..." Chiko replied timidly.  
  
Fang lightly took a flower and looked at it between two fingers. "Who are they really for? You don't have enough flowers for everyone, you know..."  
  
"Chiko." A voice said from behind her.  
  
The said person opened her eyes and looked back at the older boy, finding him watching her intently. Chiko hunched down slightly and unintentionally as she met the other's gaze.  
  
"Mind if I sit with you?" Vane asked, gesturing vaguely at a spot beside Chiko.  
  
Chiko stayed quiet as the other sat down, looking below at Kaze and Fang, who were sorting through the other beyblades.  
  
"We're returning them to the owners..." Vane explained evenly. "We mostly have a list of where some of the beybladers live but the others will have to be traced down... That shouldn't be too hard. We're splitting the list evenly and we'll deal with the rest of the beyblades afterwards..." He sighed slowly then without looking at the other, he started talking again but more quietly. "Is there something bothering you, Chiko?"  
  
"... No..." Chiko replied quietly, unraveling the black bandages from around her hands slowly.  
  
"Are you sure?" It sounded more like a statement rather than a question.  
  
Chiko stopped for a moment, thinking whether or not to tell the other about Driger. Ever since she could remember, Vane had mostly been the levelheaded one who would listen to everyone's problems. He would always have the time to talk about them as well and he didn't seem to mind.  
  
"... I'm sure..." Chiko said more quietly.  
  
There was a moment of silence as the two sat there without saying a word. Chiko unraveled the black bandages from her hands and set them down beside her, rubbing her hands a bit.  
  
"She's coming tonight." Vane looked at the other out of the corner of his eye. "Kaze must have gone over the plans carefully with her before we made our way here."  
  
"But..." Chiko looked at Vane, clenching her hands into fists nervously. "I thought she was going to stay back in the village... Or that she wanted to travel the world..."  
  
Vane shook his head, looking down at the other two again. "She's definitely going to arrive here but Fang and I don't know where... Kaze's keeping too much from us. Either way, don't be act surprised for the next while... You'll only worry yourself more..."  
  
With that, Vane got up and walked down the walkway towards the ladder. Chiko leaned against the railing again, looking at the crates below. The situation seemed to get worse by each passing moment: She had almost been caught twice, Ray had basically let her take Driger for some suspicious reason... and 'She' was going to pay a visit both to the thieves and the Blade Breakers...  
  
[Aiya... Tis been a while since I've updated this... Sorry about that. I have quite a few fan fictions that I gotta update as well... oO; Man, I write too much... Anyway... Hope this chapter was more or less interesting...] 


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